The present invention relates generally to a test device for electrical circuits and, more particularly, to a circuit tester providing an audible indication that voltage is present at an outlet and which includes a variable volume feature.
When installing or maintaining the electrical service in a building, it is sometimes necessary to test operation of an outlet or to identify which circuit breaker supplies voltage to an outlet. Although the sequence of steps is different for each operation, the general principle is the same. When testing operation of the outlet, a circuit breaker is initially in the off position such that no voltage is provided to the outlet. A test device is inserted into the outlet and the circuit breaker is turned on. The test device provides an indication of voltage being present at the outlet. When identifying which circuit breaker supplies voltage to an outlet, the circuit breaker is initially in the on position such that voltage is provided to the outlet. The test device is inserted into the outlet and provides an indication that voltage is present at the outlet. Individual circuit breakers are turned off and the test device is monitored after each circuit breaker is turned off until it no longer provides the indication that voltage is present at the outlet.
In either instance, the outlet may be located some distance from the load center in which the circuit breakers are located. In residential construction, for example, the load center is typically located in a basement. The outlet to be tested may be located one or two stories above and/or across the house from the load center. Historically, it has been known to provide an audible alert to indicate that voltage is present at the outlet. However, if the outlet is located two stories above and across the house from the load center, the audible alert must be very loud to allow the person testing the outlet to hear the alert at the load center. Otherwise, the tester has to repeatedly travel between the load center and the outlet to determine whether the outlet is operating properly or to identify if the correct circuit breaker has been identified. This level of volume required to hear the alert between two stories and across a large residence may be undesirable when testing outlets in closer proximity to the load center, such as in a finished basement. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a circuit tester configured to provide an audible alert for which the volume may be controlled to a desired level.